Replacing Two VHF Antennas and one AIS Antenna

[jimL]

Hi there,

Now that we are live aboard, we are planning our trip South and we're ready to replace our two VHF antennas and one AIS antenna that is on the hard top. The VHF antennas are on the side of the upper helm.

We're looking for any advice on fishing the cables to the appropriate radio / AIS.

Thanks - JimL

 

[Comodave]

Get a cable lubricant something like this. Got it on Amazon.

Gardner Bender 79-006N Wire-Aide Wire Pulling Lubricant, Greaseless Fiber-Optic Wire Insulation, 1 Qt. Squeeze Bottle, Yellow , White

 

[wkearney99]

What Dave says. But if you're replacing existing gear and the wire isn't known to have problems you could probably keep using it.

Bear in mind that it's usually a good idea to pull just bare wire from one point to another, not a cable that had a big-ass connector on it. This means knowing how to properly terminate a coax cable into the F connectors used by VHF gear. But there are other RF factors to consider, and I know enough to pay someone else to do this for me.

And if you're planning on a long journey you'd want to be sure what has been installed is up to the tasks. Don't get it done last minute only to discover it doesn't work at the distances needed.